This week, the world was informed of a haunting discovery: using an advanced survey vessel equipped with cutting-edge scanning sensors and innovative underwater mapping, the remains of the infamous ship Altalena were found intact. Resting half a kilometer deep in the Mediterranean, west of the Israeli coast, the ship remains a silent witness to a foundational tragedy.
It was here, in the early days of the State, that 19 Jews were killed at the hands of their brothers-in-arms—the ideological forefathers of those modern descendants who today wave the flags of "democracy" and "tolerance" as little more than empty lip service.
The young State of Israel was then barely a month old, embroiled in a desperate existential war against five Arab armies. During a fragile ceasefire, David Ben-Gurion—seeking absolute control—gave the order to fire upon the ship. In his journals, he framed this as a necessity of "state sovereignty," labeling the Irgun’s attempt to bring in weapons as a threat to the regime.
My revered father, may he live long, still carries that wound in his heart. A seventeen-year-old youth at the time, his voice still trembles when he recalls that horrific night:
"I heard the echoes of gunfire. Whispers of something terrible spread through the streets. I ran with all my might to the Tel Aviv beach. The sight burned into my memory: fire and smoke billowing from the ship, and the 'flower of our youth' leaping into the stormy waves to save their lives—only to be shot in cold blood by the Haganah as they struggled in the water."
The chilling sight of Jews shooting fellow Jews on the shores of Tel Aviv ignited a fear that the nascent State would collapse before it had truly begun.
From the Bleeding Cradle: Begin’s Heroic Restraint
The event left a deep fracture—a burning sense of betrayal among the supporters of the Irgun and its commander, Menachem Begin. They watched through tears as their comrades, many of them Holocaust survivors who had just escaped the European inferno to fight for their homeland, were slaughtered.
From within that bleeding cradle, Begin’s voice rose over the radio in a cry that would define Jewish leadership for generations: "Milchemet Achim (Brotherly War) – Never!" This supreme act of restraint prevented a total bloodbath. Conversely, the Mapai leadership justified the shooting as a necessary step to subdue "the porshim" (breakaways), a justification that reflected the totalistic, Soviet-inspired mindset from which their ideology grew.
How the Liberation of Jerusalem Was Delayed
On the deck of the Altalena were 1,000 rifles and five million rounds of ammunition—existential weaponry desperately needed for the battle over Jerusalem. Those who sought to establish the "State of Tel Aviv" preferred to sink their ideological rivals, even if it meant sinking the arms and the fighters destined to liberate our holy city.
Ben-Gurion, an admirer of the heretical Baruch Spinoza, sought to root the State in a philosophy where nature and G-d are one, effectively pushing the Creator into a corner to free the "new Jew" from the yoke of Torah and the Commandment "Thou Shalt Not Murder."
Jewish history teaches that kitrug (prosecution) and internal dissension delay the Geulah. Just as the sin of the Spies delayed our entry into the Land by 40 years, the Altalena massacre delayed the liberation of Jerusalem. It took another 19 years and the supernatural miracles of the Six-Day War to finally hear the declaration: "The Temple Mount is in our hands."
Is There a Difference Between Then and Now?
Much water has flowed through the Mediterranean since it was mingled with the blood of martyrs. The aura of Socialist Zionism has dissolved. The masses of Klal Yisrael have rejected that path and are returning to their roots. As the Torah promises: "In the end of days, you will return to Hashem your G-d and obey His voice" (Devarim 4:30).
According to a hidden Tzaddik, following the tragedy of October 7th, the Almighty is protecting His children and will not allow a civil war to ignite. Despite the efforts of the Erev Rav to sow destruction, we see a lack of actual loss of life in these internal squabbles—a sign of Rachamei Shamayim.
Why We Must Not Be Paralyzed by Threats
Many on the Right still take pride in Begin’s restraint. However, there is a fundamental difference between 1948 and today. In those days, the Left—though aggressive—represented the majority. Begin understood that he had to work patiently to shift public consciousness.
Today, the situation is reversed. Those who disparage our heritage are light-years away from being a majority. The young Jew in Israel today thirsts for identity, Torah, and a connection to the Creator. The secular minority no longer represents the people, and they have no right to speak in our name.
Threats of "civil war" should no longer paralyze us. The restraint of the Altalena cannot be used as a model for surrender to ideological heirs who seek to impose a minority opinion on a nation. When the judicial system, the Attorney General, and the Military Advocate General place themselves above the law and the will of the people—as seen in the disgraceful "Sde Teiman" blood libel—we must stand firm.
The Law of "Measure for Measure"
The Torah teaches us that the world operates with exact precision (Middah K’negged Middah).
The Act: Yitzchak Rabin was among the commanders who fired upon his brothers at the Tel Aviv shore.
The Result: Decades later, the one who ordered the shedding of his brothers' blood was himself assassinated by a fellow Jew.
This serves as an eternal warning: the fire of violence one directs at his brother ultimately returns to strike him.
A Torah-Based Security Mindset
We must shift away from the "feebleness is strength" mindset. The attempt to show "humanism" by endangering our soldiers for "uninvolved civilians" is a contradiction of Torah values that leads only to disaster. The Middle East views such mercy as weakness.
The Torah commands zero mercy against a cruel enemy. We must impose a full siege—without humanitarian aid, fuel, or electricity—until the enemy is subdued. We must act with pride, without fear of the Court in The Hague, knowing that the world always respects the victor.
The Dawn of Redemption
We are in the midst of the prophecies of the End of Days. The alignment of the nations against us is the groundwork for the War of Gog and Magog. But Israel need not fear: "Their Redeemer is strong, Hashem Tzva-os is His name" (Yirmiyahu 50:34).
In this month of Elul, as we approach the fulfillment of the promise in Parshas Ki Savo—to be set supreme as a holy nation—we must prepare with Teshuvah and an upright stance. The hidden Tzaddik has revealed that great surprises await us in the coming elections; the strength of the believing public will rise meteorically.
Our role is to raise the banner of Torah and Jewish identity. As was said to Yehoshua: "Be strong and courageous; do not be terrified or dismayed, for Hashem your G-d is with you wherever you go" (Yehoshua 1:9).
Amen ve'Amen.
